At Christmas, it was always my hope to leave the BEST present for the last. That's how it's felt, writing these Mim memories. Waiting to write about our trips down to watch four launches of Americans to the Moon. Apollo 12, 14, 15 (with Mom!) & Apollo 17. Adventures worthy of the term lunacy, unforgettable times with a sister who was an experience explorer, a world opener.
Who knew one sentence from Walter Cronkite would rock my world?
Dad & Mom, Mim et moi were sitting on the couch at "The Genzlinger House" (to the right of Beryl & Paul, across from Pete & Louise). Like the majority of Americans, our attention was glued to our television, waiting for the lift off of Apollo 11, on its way to the moon.
As the Saturn rocket went soaring on its way, Cronkite said, "As incredible as this is to watch in your homes, it can't compare to what we see here, at the Cape."
As he spoke, Mim looked at me & I looked at her - at the same instant - and we both knew. The two of us were going down.
It made NO sense. Then next space launch was during my senior year - in November! I wasn't the greatest student, yet we absolutely knew that we'd be down for Apollo12. My teachers would never let me take a full week off!
Ending this memory right here, at that spark of time in the living room, when the two of us locked eyes with the same absurd thought, ready to countdown the days to 11/12/69!
No comments:
Post a Comment